Beaverton - Oyatsupan Bakers

We frequently shop at the Walker Road Fred Meyer, and my sisters refill on Diet Coke at the nearby McDonald's almost every time, so we have seen the Oyatsupan that shares the parking lot many times. We finally made it inside.

Even before entering the store I was delighted to find this adorable sign. I was thinking it was just something cute that they added, but it goes with an overall theme.

These same animals adorn the labels that identify the various baked goods as well. I appreciate the cuteness of the labeling, which goes well with the overall feeling of the shop.

I also appreciate the conscientiousness of the labeling, which carefully identifies possible allergens.

There are several options for purchases. As you enter you find an arrangement of preserves, right next to a display of refrigerated baked goods.

The real stars are the other baked goods, with doughnuts, horns, and the namesake "pans".

We split up a selection of five pastries and found they divided pretty well. It is understandable if you don't want to share, but you can try more different things if you do.

Our big mistake was not trying the beef curry doughnut, which gets rave reviews. However I do recommend the chocolate chip melon pan. I also like the chocolate filling in some of the pastries, which reminds me of chocolate I have had in Italy: dark, but sweeter than our usual dark chocolate.

Oyatsupan is also a good place to get lunch, with a choice of baguette sandwiches and tea sandwiches served with salad. Prices seem reasonable; the deservedly popular katsu pork sandwich plate was $6.00, or you could have the ham and cheese baguette for $8.50.

I am sure we will go back.
 
https://www.oyatsupan.com/

PDX: Snow alert

I had hoped to get some activities in last week so I could write about them, but the weather put that off.

Technically we did not get any accumulation here, though to the West of us and to the East of us and also I believe to the North, there was quite a bit, and it really does affect things.

That seems worth writing about, because the last time I tried going away on my own for a bit was ruined by snow.

(Well, it was really more the ice, but that is usually the case and we talk about it as snow.)

It was not ruined from a writing perspective; I still got three posts out of the experience, starting here:

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-paramount-hotel-portland.html

It just wasn't any fun. I intended to go many other places. Even the small amount of trying to get around that I did was highly dangerous.

Local inability to handle snow is kind of legendary, generally baffling and irritating people from other areas that handle it better. Sadly, we have gotten better - there are at least more local snow plows - but things still come to a halt. Events get canceled, panicked people empty store shelves, and shows get pre-empted so that newscasters can continue showing you what you would see just outside the window.

On the plus side, it doesn't happen that often. If it did, I assume we would adjust. Climate change means we will probably need to figure that out.

Meanwhile, if you have plans for some fun destinations when snow hits, it is best to readjust, with simple pleasures like movies, books, and board games. Yes, you can try and risk it, but they are getting less forgiving with abandoned vehicles now.

PDX - Oregon Rail Heritage Center

The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is run by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation. Their mission is "To provide for the preservation and public enjoyment of Portland's historic locomotives, railroad equipment, and artifacts, and to educate the public about Oregon’s rich and diverse railroad history."

 Location is key, with the center adjacent to light and heavy rail in a unique way.

At least one local business - Mt. Hood Brewing Company - has really gotten into the spirit.

The first thing I noticed approaching the building was how big it was, but of course it had to be tall and long and wide: there are trains in there.

There are plenty of trains outside too. I know many children love trains, and this should be incredibly exciting for them.

Even big kids might get a kick out of ringing the bell. I did.

Many of the trains inside are under repair, so this is a workshop as much as a place of exhibition. In that way it is somewhat like the Oregon Maritime Museum, though they only have the single boat.

That has also made the center a magical place for many retirees.

I have ridden trains before, but you do get a better sense of the scale here. Trains are huge.

Of course there are smaller items on exhibit too, with signage explaining the history.

For example, "milk run" has a meaning I didn't know about.

 I still think the big attraction is the big trains.

Obviously Sheldon Cooper would love it.

(I did find the light a little tricky for photography inside.)

http://www.orhf.org/

Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon

We have been to the Oregon Historical Society. We generally find that we can get through it pretty quickly, with things being interesting, but not pulling us in that much. I still have to give them credit for two things.

One is creativity. I loved these light fixtures modeled on hops for an exhibit on Oregon's beer industry.

That is not a topic of high interest to me, but the way the information was displayed, and the thoroughness of including the different aspects was well done.

That carried over into the exhibit on Oregon's Humane Society, where questions and answers were cleverly shaped like pet tags.

That information was much more up my alley, and again, they did a good job with taking the information and the resources that were available and being thorough.

That leads to the other place where I have to give credit, in that I cannot question their devotion to Oregon.

If it is about the state, or happened in the state, or matters to people in the state, they respect that and try to do it justice.

Without intending it, for that visit we ended up going on Family Day.

Not only did that mean that admission was free, but there were also crafts for children, musical performances, and displays and foods that could introduce you to different people and cultures.

So perhaps an additional area to praise would be their commitment to community events and getting people involved.

With exhibits and people telling about Bosnian and Borana culture, we can also remember that not everyone who lives in Portland started out here, and there are wonderful things to learn about that as well.

https://www.ohs.org/